Although the lion's share of press attention is on looming Senate confirmation battles over President-elect Donald Trump's nominations of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), there are growing signs of a major fight over another nominee to the Trump Cabinet — Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., who was tapped as secretary of labor with the strong support of Teamster Union President Sean O'Brien.
"Just watch our Conference and the Committee [on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions]," a Republican senator who requested anonymity told Newsmax on Tuesday evening. "As hearings begin and her record becomes more known, you'll see more Republican [senators] speak out against her and her opposition to Right To Work."
At least six Republican senators on the committee that will take up Chavez-DeRemer's nomination next month are from right-to-work states: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Ted Budd of North Carolina.
A one-term Republican House Member from Oregon who was beaten for reelection this November, Chavez-DeRemer's support for the Protecting The Right to Organize (PRO) Act has made conservatives begin sending signals they will fight her nomination.
Strongly backed by President Joe Biden and already passed by the House, the PRO Act would upend all right-to-work laws in all 27 states that have enacted them. That would mean that employees could be required to pay union dues and join a union.
In addition, PRO's provisions would require freelancers and gig workers to be reclassified as employees rather than independent contractors and forced to join a union.
Chavez-DeRemer was backed by more than a dozen unions in her losing reelection bid this year. However, it was a strong letter from Teamster boss O'Brien on Nov. 21 that brought her to Trump's attention and was key to her appointment.
"She is only one of three Republicans to co-sponsor the PRO [Protecting The Right to Organize] Act — one of our union's top priorities, aimed at reversing the decades-long drift of American labor law," wrote O'Brien, who electrified the Republican National Convention last summer with a fighting, pro-Trump address.
A day after his letter and a photo of O'Brien and Trump flanking Chavez-DeRemer became public, the Oregonian was nominated to be secretary of labor.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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